Every now and then a sports photographer will notice that a lot of the game hinges on one player.

Let’s set the stage: June 21, 2014. The Washington Spirit Reserves (in red) are playing the New York Magic (in white) for the second time this season. The last time these teams met, Washington trounced the Magic 7:0. Today’s score: 0:0

Washington is now leading the United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League Northeastern Conference — after nine games they have won seven and tied two (both tie games were 0:0) having a record of 22 goals for and 2 goals against.

I shoot for the Spirit Reserves so my photography is a bit biased. And some of you know that I don’t try to shoot the goals, preferring to shoot the match instead (there is a difference). But looking through the almost-400 images from today’s game I realized that I was seeing a lot of this fluorescent green jersey in the pictures: Goalkeeper Caitlin Hoffer.

The goalkeeper is supposed to be the loneliest player on the pitch — when things are going well for his/her team. Not today. Washington managed to consistently keep the ball on the New York side of the line. New York was able to get the ball back fairly often, but wasn’t able to complete. On the other hand, Washington was unable to make a single goal, despite a LOTof shots-on-goal.

I may have shot 1/3 of her saves…or perhaps not even that many.

These shots are in the order they occurred — each shot a single event.

Punch!!!

It takes a different kind a person to be a goalkeeper. The stress is high. A penalty kick is like a gun fight on the streets of Dodge City — the opponents looking each other in the eye and trying anticipate the “move”. If you fail, blame is quick. Still…

…It’s a great part of the “Beautiful Game”, and one that’s fun to see close up.

At the museum, from above…And opinions

I posted this picture (taken from the blog posting that precedes this one) on an online forum — mostly to give the members a look at what a couple of new lenses could to. More of a semi-technical posting than an art statement.

Click Image to Enlarge

Of course this invites comments on the aesthetics from both the well-intentioned and the clueless alike…Which is why I rarely post photos on forums.

I got this one: “I like the perspective on the 4th indoor shot, but I would tighten it up quite a lot. I’d crop away everything except mom, baby and the girder. I wouldn’t crop much from the bottom, don’t want to lose any of the stroller’s shadow. The round things at the ends of the girder would go though, as would the shadow coming in from the top.”

A follow-up post from the same person was a backtrack that decided not to backtrack: “I didn’t say you had to tighten up the shot, I said ‘I would tighten up the shot.’ I just don’t see how the extra elements add anything to the sense of time or place. For me, the photograph is all about the baby and the mother. Everything else is a distraction.” His would look something like this:

Click Image to Enlarge

And from a very superficial point of view he is correct: It is about the woman and the baby. But his framing leaves us with little else, and certainly not a hint of context. To me, it ends up almost as a gimmick shot.

His concerns about not showing a “sense of time or place” should really be about his suggested cropping. In my wider cropping you get a sense that this is probably a large public space. His gives you non of that. The sense of time is not absolute, but subjective or relative. In the context of that larger public space, the connection between the woman and the child is even more apparent — a personal moment in the larger world.

The girder has an interesting look, but in his cropping it becomes a visual barrier: There is nothing beyond. There are some interesting shadows, but nothing that provides any context to the venue. The girder constrains rather than expands. Pretty much “Here it is”. In the tradition of faux photojournalism.

I like the looser cropping of my original post. For me, it works for two groups of viewers.

For people familiar with the venue (granted, far less than 1% of the viewers), it illustrates the space. You know what the shadows represent, at least in a general way. And you also know how precious these moments are at a busy museum…In a minute or two, thirty people can be standing at this very spot.

For those just looking at the photo afresh, there is a little more mystery. Leaving the angle on the girder (to the left) gives the viewer a “way out”. With the area left above the girder, the girder is no longer a visual barrier, but begins to define the “beyond”. All of the area surrounding the woman and the baby becomes potential subject for speculation.

I often come across situations where I want to acknowledge people in my photos, but don’t want the viewer dwelling on the details. There is room for debate on whether this is an effective approach, but it does reduce the emphasis on individual people — a sort of ephemeral objectification of the humans.

Lincoln Memorial

The Louvre

Auschwitz

But one last note on cropping the original image…Perhaps I could have cropped out a wee bit of the distracting stuff along the right edge…

Fujifilm X-Series Cameras

Normally I try not to focus too much on the nuts, bolts, and gear head aspects of photography. But over the past year I’ve been transitioning into the Fujifilm X-series cameras. The Fuji interchangeable lens bodies are “mirrorless”, which means that the sensor the captures the final image is also drives the electronic viewfinder and/or LCD display. These bodies were designed from the ground up to use APS-C sensors (23.6 x 15.6 mm for Fuji) . That’s not unique — Many digital single lens reflex cameras also use the APS-C sensor. However, since almost all of them come from companies with legacies in 35mm photography (24 x 36mm) they have to accommodate larger lenses and a fairly large mirror box (behind the lens and containing a mirror for the optical viewfinder light path that swings up out of the way every time a picture is snapped).

Being designed from the start for APS-C, using an electronic viewfinder path (no mirror box), and not having to worry about decades of legacy 35mm full frame lenses, Fujifilm was free to start with a fairly clean slate.

Notes: (1)The blog software downsamples the images in a way that reduces the sharpness. To see the photos more clearly click the image once with your mouse to fit it to the screen and a second time to bring it up to 100%. (2)All images were processed from in-camera JPEG files — which I normally don’t do but wanted to try out for this session. The final images were “saved for web” to 50% of their original size in Photoshop.

Cameras and Lenses

This photo shows the X-T1 (the latest camera in the line, emulating in appearance a classic SLR and with direct physical control of major functions) with the new 10-24mm f/4 mounted, the X-Pro1 (the flagship model which was a groundbreaking* entry into the mirrorless camera world) with the 35mm f/1.4 lens mounted (one of the original three Fujifilm XF lenses), and the new 56mm f/1.2 lens. I’ve had the X-Pro1 for a little over a year but the X-T1, 10-24mm, and 56mm are all very recent purchases. To get a feel for the new equipment I made one of my Sunday morning trips to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy facility at Dulles airport. To round out the kit, I also took the 35mm.

(* The groundbreaking X-Pro1 feature is the selectable optical/electronic viewfinder in addition to the LCD display.)

To The Museum…10-24mm f/4 Lens…

This was shot for Robert, a moderator on the Fuji-X Forum. The camera is just a few inches away from the panel so the background just won’t make it into focus (see last photo in this post). Lighting is difficult since the walkway runs east-west (we’re facing west) so almost as soon as the sun is up, the panels on the left are in shadow:

10-24mm lens @ 10mm; 1/1600 sec. @ f/8; ISO 400

View from the observation tower facing north (right side of the tower in the photo above). Extreme depth of field:

10-24mm @ 10mm | 1/170 sec. @ f/8.0 | ISO 400

From the walkway along the east wall of the museum:

10-24mm @ 14.5mm | 1/40 sec. @ f/5.6 | ISO 1600

Under the east walkway/ramp…A gallery of engines that were never able to be displayed before this facility was built:

10-24mm @ 10mm | 1/15 sec. @ f/8.0 | ISO 1600

From a point just to the left of the previous photo, looking across the facility:

10-24mm @ 13.2 mm | 1/10 sec. @ f/8.0 | ISO 1600

From the floor of the museum with the Boeing 307 Stratoliner as centerpiece:

10-24mm @ 10mm | 1/30 sec. @ f/6.4 | ISO 1600

So the trick is to get the entire Concorde into a single frame:

10-24mm @ 10mm | 1/13 sec. @ f/5.6 | ISO 800

An array of small satellites in the space hangar:

10-24mm @ 13.8mm | 1/18 sec. @ f/f/4.0 | ISO 1600

…56mm f/1.2 Lens…

Shallow depth of field for the jet engine in the “under walkway” shot above:

56mm | 1/90 sec. @ f/1.4 | ISO 800

Detail of the Curtiss Helldiver (newly on the floor) using shallow depth of field for “subject isolation” — blurring the background:

56mm | 1/80 sec. @ f/2.0 | ISO 800

The tailhook of the Helldiver. You can see how narrow the in-focus zone is at this f-stop and distance:

56mm | 1/140 sec. @ f/1.4 | ISO 400

…the Venerable 35mm f/1.4 Lens…

An overhead shot of a P-47:

35mm | 1/105 sec. @ f/2.0 | ISO 1600

Museum visitors:

35mm | 1/160 sec. @ f/2.0 | ISO 1600

The Helldiver from across the museum (cropped a little):

35mm | 1/105 sec. @ f/2.0 | ISO 800

…And the Nokia Smart Phone…

The setup for the first of the museum photos. That’s a Benbo Mini-Trekker tripod — perfect for odd shots like this:

This camera, a Century Graphic, is quite literally “old school” for me — the same model I used when I started learning “serious” photography back at Lindsay (California) High School in early 1966.

Century Graphic Camera

It takes 120 roll film and depending on the film holder you use, will produce either a 6 x 7 cm (2 1/4″ x 2 3/4″) image (10 per roll) or a 6 x 9 cm (2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″) image (8 per roll). This particular lens is a Schneider 80 mm f/2.8. I also have a Schneider 100 mm f/3.5.

Everything about this camera is manual. Focus is with the rangefinder on the side, through the ground glass on the back, or by estimated distance. Shutter speed and aperture are set manually. If you use the ground glass you can frame the shot accurately — otherwise you do the best you can with the viewfinder. Not very fast — but I did manage to shoot high school football and basketball with one of these.

I’ve seen Century Graphics at used camera shows over the years. If I picked one up I was always surprised at how much of the “muscle memory” I still had — learned when I was a freshman. And so a few months ago I saw one for sale online (as it turns out, from a guy who really had a difficult time getting his act together*) and decided to buy it. This particular camera is a little older than the one I used in school — it has a red bellows and a gray body while my school’s camera had the later black bellows and body.

These days you have to send 120 off to get it processed…And I’m not yet certain how I’ll scan the negatives.

[* Over a period two weeks after I sent him the funds via PayPal, he couldn’t seem to find a box to ship it in, even though the camera had been listed for over a year. I finally ended up droving down to Raleigh, NC to pick it up and to put this sale out of its misery.]

What you have attached to the front of your camera does alter your point of view

I’m building out my Fujifilm X-Pro1 kit and I was on the fence about the Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS. When shooting for myself or traveling I rarely find a need for a lens longer than 90mm (in 35mm full frame equivalent field of view (FOV)). The FOV on this lens is 82.5mm to 300mm — that far end not being a place I spend a lot of time. Also, I’m not a fan of lenses that change aperture while they zoom. Aperture, in most shooting, is the control that has the most impact on the “look” of the picture and many photographers prefer to have all the exposure controls stay the same over the zoom range, especially if they are using a hand-held light meter or are using flash units.

Space Shuttle Enterprise. (100mm; 1/25 sec @ f/6.4; freestanding)

(Notes: (1) Click on the images to see them more clearly — it makes a big difference. The pictures in the blog body were automatically downsampled to lower resolution to fit the column width. (2) All the larger images you see after the “click” were down-sampled in PhotoShop to 50% of original cropped size in order to save loading time. (3) All the photos were shot with the Fujifilm X-Pro1 — all at ISO 3200 with the exception of the Boeing 307, which was shot at ISO 6400.)

On the other hand, constant aperture lenses are heavier and more costly. The engineering is more complex, lens elements are usually larger, and that means that the lens, overall, needs to be beefier. My Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens weighs 1,540 grams (3.40 lb). The Fujifilm, on the other hand, comes in at only 580 grams (1.28 lb). The Fuji is physically smaller, so hauling it around isn’t that much of a chore. Both lens have optical image stabilization.

Self Portrait from Boeing 307 Stratoliner…I’m the shape reflected in the propeller dome with the light at my feet. Note the dust and lint. (141mm; 1/40 sec @ f/8; freestanding)

Pondering the purchase, my research showed the Fuji lens was getting good reviews. The image stabilization was reported to be very effective and the optics across most of the zoom range performed well. Optical performance degrades a bit at the long end of the zoom, but that’s not as much of an issue for me.

Vought F4U-1D Corsair. (149mm; 1/70 sec. @ f/5.6; freestanding)

So I wrote out a check (the advantage of shopping locally — PhotoCraft in Burke, VA) and the next day I visited the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy facility near Dulles International Airport. As some of you know, this is my lens and camera test venue. The displays inside don’t change that much, but the lighting can be a real challenge….Fairly dim inside combined with the mixed-source lighting, so the photographer is presented with ample opportunities to really blow shots. The longer and slower the lens — the more those opportunities present themselves. (There are some photos from this session that will never see the light of your monitor.)

Tail Gunner position on the B-29 “Enola Gay”. (200mm; 1/40 sec. @ f/4.8; supported by handrail. This is pretty much the extreme shot: slow shutter speed, lens fully zoomed and wide open. But the rivet and hinge detail still holds up well.)

Post Processing (PP): Raw conversion by PictureCode’s Photo Ninja running inside Adobe Photoshop CS6 — includes Noise Ninja and some adjustment for detail and highlights. Continued PP in Photoshop including conversion to a PSD file, curves (for a black point and, if available, a white point), cropping, color balance, etc. A final pass with NIK Viveza 2, which gives you a last chance to see how the image looks and adjust lightness, saturation, shadows, etc. Then saving for Web JPEG in PhotoShop.

A Lens Test at a Familiar Venue

The Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 lens was eagerly anticipated by many Fujifilm X-Camera users. Fuji has paid more attention than is typical in developing a line of prime (non-zoom) lenses for this line of mirrorless cameras. With a wide aperture of f/1.4 photographers will have more options with regard to depth of field — which is a good thing. This is a very nice lens.

Walkway leading to the entrance of the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center — Near Dulles International Airport. (1/600 sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200)

(Notes: (1) Click on the images to see them more clearly — it makes a big difference. The pictures in the blog body were automatically downsampled to lower resolution to fit the column width. (2) All the larger images you see after the “click” were down-sampled in PhotoShop to 50% of original cropped size in order to save loading time. (3) All the photos were shot with the fujinon 23mm f/1.4 lens on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 at the ISO values given in the picture information.)

Floor of the museum near the entrance with Japanese Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko “Irving”. (1/20 sec. @ f/4.0. ISO 1600)

Curtiss 1A “Gulfhawk”. Notice the blue ceiling — the result of the differences in lighting, and my selecting a black point and white point (the pin striping) on the plane itself (warm light) which let the background go much cooler. (1/25 sec. @ f/4.0; ISO 1600)

Walkway as airplanes land at Dulles. (1/300 sec. @ f/8.0; ISO 200)

Post Processing (PP): Raw conversion by PictureCode’s Photo Ninja running inside Adobe Photoshop CS6 — includes Noise Ninja and some adjustment for detail and highlights. Continued PP in Photoshop including conversion to a PSD file, curves (for a black point and, if available, a white point), cropping, color balance, etc. A final pass with NIK Viveza 2, which gives you a last chance to see how the image looks and adjust lightness, color, saturation, shadows, etc. Then saving for Web JPEG in PhotoShop.

Some last comments…

Air Transportation

British Air: The Dulles to Heathrow leg. If you ever book a flight on a BA 777-200, DON’T get seat 27A (and probably 27K). Under the seat in front of you is something I think could be a combination of the cabinet for the in-flight entertainment and the in-armrest tray tables (row 26 is an exit row) that takes up most of the floor space. I don’t think there was enough room to put package of copier paper under the seat. I had to put my left foot between the cabin wall and the seat support, and my right kinda at an angle sticking a bit into my neighbors foot area. Cabin crew was pretty good — reset my entertainment console.

Air France: Return was London to Paris to Dulles. That’s what happens when you use award travel. Air France has a different take on baggage restrictions. Your checked bag has the normal 23Kg limit. But they have a weight limit for your two carry-ons — 12 Kg. I had to repack my checked bag (made it 22.9 Kg), and wore my coat with pockets stuffed. As soon as I passed through security, I moved the coat and all the stuff in the pockets back into my carry-on duffel.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Stonehenge/Salisbury/Avebury Tour

Avebury (Click image to enlarge)

Well worth it to spend the extra money for the mini-bus tour instead of the large motor coach tour. David was a personable, knowledgeable guy and the small group means you have a little more flexibility. His company is Stone Circle Tours:

Around London

Transportation: The easiest way to get around London is by the Underground (the Tube). I recommend getting an “Oyster”, which is a smart card you preload and touch to the yellow circle on the fare gates when you enter or exit a Tube station, or when you get on a bus. You can buy them at each of Heathrow’s terminals. The card costs £5 (which can be refunded if you turn the card in when you fly home). I loaded my card with £25 — and had 70 pence on it after my last Tube trip.

The British Museum, Victoria and Albert, and Mozart’s Requiem at Southbank Centre

The British Museum

The British Museum is the quintessential historical/cultural museum. It combines an enormous collection of physical objects with unparalleled research facilities. Some of the collection was gathered up during the height of the British Empire in locales where the indigenous leadership (if any) had little interest in saving historical artifacts — or was unable to stop the collection activities. Some of those areas, now modern nation states, would now like their stuff back. There is an overarching question as to whether or not the objects would still exist if they hadn’t been collected and shipped to England.

1. The British Museum’s Great Court. This was covered over in 2000, and now is the focal point for most of the museum’s supporting activities. The central structure used to be the museum’s Reading Room.(Click image to enlarge)

2. The Rosetta Stone…And a constant stream of viewers.(Click image to enlarge)

3. Grecian Marbles. (Click image to enlarge)

4. Greek Temple. (Click image to enlarge)

5. Assyrian lion hunting — a sport for kings which also symbolized him protecting his people. (Click image to enlarge)

6. Egyptian sculpture. (Click image to enlarge)

The Victoria and Albert Museum

An eclectic collection of modern and old. Contemporary fashion and fabrics to ancient marble statues — and reproductions. A huge collection.

7. A tiny part of the collection, in just one gallery. (Click image to enlarge)

8. Medieval oak sculpture. (Click image to enlarge)

9. Detail of a monument to Sir Moyle Finch and his wife Elizabeth. He died in 1614 — she in 1634. His eyes closed — hers open.(Click image to enlarge)

10. Moonrise over the Thames, from the Hungerford Bridge. The white dome of St Paul’s to the left, and the Shard on the far right above Royal Festival Hall.(Click image to enlarge)

Photo Notes:

Because of the way the blog software downsamples the in-column images, you need to click the images to see them more clearly.

The Courtauld Gallery, Paul McCartney at Covent Garden, the Fourth Plinth, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Courtauld Gallery

The Courtauld Gallery is a smaller museum with collections of Post-Impressionist, Impressionist, 18th Century, Baroque, Renaissance, and Medieval works. It is located in Somerset House, where the Royal Academy was once located.

1. Paintings displayed in smaller rooms in what was once the main exhibition area of the Royal Academy.(Click image to enlarge)

2. Joshua Reynold’s “Cupid and Psyche” over the mantle and some of the Courtauld’s silver.(Click image to enlarge)

3. Courtauld staircase. (Click image to enlarge)

Paul McCartney at Covent Garden

…So I was walking towards Covent Garden and noticed several news crews heading that direction. And then, in front of St. Paul’s, the crowd. I had no idea what was happening. It turns out he was promoting his new album.

4. The crowd for a short performance by Paul McCartney — from the back of the black truck on the right.(Click image to enlarge)

5. That tiny little head on the right: Sir Paul.(Click image to enlarge)

The Fourth Plinth.

The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square never got the statue intended for it. It is now hosts regular temporary installations.

6. The Fourth Plinth: This is a BIG blue rooster. The National Gallery behind, and St. Martin’s in the Fields to the right (with spire). (Click image to enlarge)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

A brilliant play at the Apollo Theater in the West End. See it if you visit London.

7. Brilliant Play. (Click image to enlarge)

Photo Notes:

Because of the way the blog software downsamples the in-column images, you need to click the images to see them more clearly.

The London Eye and “The Shard”

London Eye

This is a repeat visit to the Eye, but it’s a great view and worth looking for new images to capture.

1. Through the London Eye logo. (Click image to enlarge)

2. Using one of the pods as a set for a standup shoot. (Click image to enlarge)

3. The “studio” pod reaches the peak during a break in the clouds. (Click image to enlarge)

4. Looking down as our flight concludes — County Hall on the right.(Click image to enlarge)

The Shard

The Shard is a multi-use building down the Thames from the London Eye in the London Bridge Quarter. The tower has 87 stories and is 1,004 feet high — the tallest building in the European Union. Working down from the observation levels are residence floors, a hotel, restaurants, and office space. A visit to the observation decks is not inexpensive…But it is totally unique.

5. The Shard, seen from the Millennium Bridge (which spans the Thames between St. Peter’s and the Tate Modern.(Click image to enlarge)

6. A view down from the lower observation deck — looking down river towards the Docklands and Greenwich.(Click image to enlarge)

7. Visitors in the enclosed gallery, which is the lower observation level. (Click image to enlarge)

8. The upper observation deck, open to the weather, is at the 804 foot level.(Click image to enlarge)

9. Another view of the upper observation level. The building extends above this level.(Click image to enlarge)

10. Looking up from the upper observation level.(Click image to enlarge)

Photo Notes:

Because of the way the blog software downsamples the in-stream images, you need to click the images to see them more clearly.

The highwaymen — who tried to hold a gun to the Nation’s head — failed, at least for now. We’ll know in a couple of months whether those who see America primarily through their own tunnel vision, and who listen only to their most rabid followers, have learned anything since they dreamed up this shutdown “strategy” those months ago.

But for the benefit of those who care more about the Nation as a whole, I extract a short quote from Lincoln’s address, carved into the wall before you: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in…”

Salisbury, Old Sarum, Stonehenge, and Avebury

Salisbury Cathedral

It was a overcast and threatening when we left London, and by the time we approached Salisbury, it was overcast, raining, and dreary. Our guide had planned to visit Old Sarum first, but looking at the weather id didn’t seem like starting the day on a hilltop would be the best idea, so we went straight on to Salisbury Cathedral and made Old Sarum our second stop (one of the advantages of a smaller tour rather than the big motor coach tours). The cathedral has the tallest medieval tower in Britain, and houses one of the four known copies of the Magna Carta.

1. Salisbury Cathedral — View down the Nave from the Font.(Click image to enlarge)

2. A reminder of life more than 2 1/2 centuries ago.(Click image to enlarge)

3. “Prisoners of Conscience” Window (1980) and tending the Shrine Tomb of Bishop Osmund — one of three tombs brought here for reburial in 1226 from the previous cathedral at Old Sarum. (Click image to enlarge)

4. Kids in the Cloisters on a rainy day…All kinds of medieval kit for them to try. (Click image to enlarge)

Old Sarum

Still drizzling when we headed back to nearby Old Sarum…Blustery and misting when we got there…And then sunshine. Originally a Neolithic site, this was an Iron Age hill fort and then the first location of Salibury. The first Salisbury Cathedral was built here.

5. Outline of the original Salisbury Cathedral at Old Sarum, seen from the ruined fortress walls.(Click image to enlarge)

Stonehenge

Blustery, but sunny…

6. Stonehenge (Click image to enlarge)

Avebury

Something you won’t see on most tours…A neolithic henge monument consisting of three circles, one of which is the largest in Europe — about 1400 feet in diameter.

7. A portion of the Avebury Circle, including two gate stones.(Click on image to enlarge)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

This visit was planned, but not scheduled. October weather in Britain can be unpredictable, so the first thing I checked on Day 1 was the weather. It looked promising, so I got on the Tube and headed out to Kew Gardens.

Kew Gardens is more than just a big park. It is also a world leading botanical research and preservation operation. Most of what falls under the heading of “Kew” takes place in other locations.

However, the gardens in southwest London are exceptional in their own right. This is a mix of formal gardens, research/educational plots, parkland, restaurants, glass houses, and places to just sit and enjoy. Somehow, they have manged to all of this “right”. If you appreciate plants, you can easily spend most of a day here. If you are seriously botanically inclined, you will have no problem spending two full days at Kew Gardens.

(Note: Because of the way the blog software downsamples the in-stream images, you need to click the images to see them more clearly.)

1. A pool, off to the side in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.(Click image to enlarge)

2. Kew Palace and Royal Kitchens.(Click image to enlarge)

3. On the north side of Kew Gardens, a viewpoint. Beyond the fence is the River Thames and in the distance you can see Syon Park, the London home of the Duke of Northhumberland. This spot is the terminus for Syon and Cedar Vistas — long sightlines that run the width of the gardens. Syon Vista terminates at the Palm House, one of two great Victorian glass houses. Cedar Vista terminates at the Pagoda. Note two of the hundreds of wooden benches spread throughout the gardens.(Click image to enlarge)

4. About 1/3 of the way down Syon Vista from the viewpoint above. Palm House can be seen in the distance.(Click image to enlarge)

5. Near the location above is the Sackler Crossing, a curved bridge over a small lake. This award-winning design features a vertical guardrail system which opens up the view without sacrificing safety.(Click image to enlarge)

6. A view from the Sackler Crossing demonstrating the impression of openness. If you look closely at the bottom right, you’ll see a small disk between every metal upright. This is a lamp, so the entire bridge is illuminated with a gentle glow from below. A brilliant design.(Click image to enlarge)

The dedication on one of the benches. Sponsorship of a bench (for 10 years — roughly the life expectancy of the wooden benches) is 5,000 pounds.(Click image to enlarge)

8. Visitors on a path, seen from the Xstrata Treetop Walkway.(Click image to enlarge)

9. The Japanese Gateway.(Click image to enlarge)

10. The Pagoda, seen from the Cedar Vista in the afternoon sun.(Click image to enlarge)

11. A panoramic view Kew Palace on the left and the Orangery Restaurant in the center.(Click image to enlarge)

Redwood National Park — Closed. You didn’t get to walk here today. Fortunately, there is still access to Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods and Prairie Creek Redwoods state parks, which adjoin RNP.

(These are smaller pictures, originally shot with a Minox subminiature camera._